Changing pattern of infectious agents in postneurosurgical meningitis.

BACKGROUND: The rates of postneurosurgical infections, particularly meningitis and the most common pathogens have been reported variable during the recent years. The aim of this research was to determine the prevalence of postneurosurgical meningitis and its current spectrum of infectious agent.

METHODS: In a descriptive study, the postneurosurgical patients' cerebrospinal fluid was cultured on blood and MacConkey agar plates and evaluated at Microbiology Laboratory. 55 significant isolates as species level were recognized by bacteriological techniques.

RESULTS: Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii) was the most common organism [29(52.7%)], followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae [8(14.5%)], Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus [6(10.9%)], Staphylococcus saprophyticus [5(9.1%)], Pseudomonas aeruginosa [3(5.5%)], Methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus [3(5.5%)], and Enterococcus faecalis [1(1.8%)]. The majority of A. baumannii isolates were carbapenem-resistant.

CONCLUSION: Our research revealed that the rate of postneurosurgical meningitis due to carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii has been increased. This finding emphasized the importance of preventive strategies against A. baumannii. The changing pattern of infectious agents in postneurosurgical meningitis over time suggests the necessity of other studies.